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Paulo Freire, patron of brazilian education, always pointed out how much education needs to be liberating in its purest sense of emancipation for both the one who learns and the one who teaches. Riqelme’s life was impacted by an educator, Paulo Adriano, better known as Uncle Paul, the young man said with conviction; “Uncle Paul changed my life. He was incredible!! It was because of this liberating educator Paulo, that Riquelme stated ; “ In 2025, I want to return.......” The

Who has heard of the saying that “Children and young people are the future of the World”? This popular saying always appears in conversations about the development of people’s perspectives on life and at the same time giving hope that things will change. It is the way that the teams at Instituto Solidare and Happy Child International think when they decide to invest in the transformation of children and young people’s lives. The motivation of a hope for a better future. Today

In world cup year, football returns to the TV screens, the streets and to conversations around the world. Children wear their football team shirts and imitate their favourite players, dreaming of taking part in the big spectacle. But for some children and young people in a socially vulnerable situation, sport represents something even more than entertainment. It represents opportunity for security, belonging and hope for the future. At Instituto Solidare young people between

A difficult situation is facing many families in the communities we support in the Metropolitan region of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Due to the heavy rains that have been affecting the area since the beginning of May 2026. The intensification of rainfall, combined with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), has resulted in floods, severe inundations, landslides, and the forced displacement of hundreds of families in situations of high social vulnerability. Communities de

I was delighted during my recent visit to Recife to see work well underway on a new building for one of Happy Child’s key partners, Instituto Solidare. We work with them to provide the Training and Skills programme, which helps young people bridge the gap between a basic secondary education and applying for apprenticeships in some of Recife’s big companies. We also support a Mothers and Babies programme which helps young mothers to look after their babies while at the same

At the beginning of the nineties Brazil legally promised to assume the responsibility to care for children and adolescents, especially those in a socially vulnerable situation. On the 13th July 1990 the Statute for Children and Adolescents, Federal Law number 8.069 was created, fundamentally to give priority for full protection of children and adolescents. These principals guaranteed that all of society, family and state has the right to receive the following, such as life, h

John Doddrell, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Happy Child International, visited the projects on 1 and 2 March. During his stay in Recife, he had the opportunity to see the work up close, meet the local teams, and gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the projects on the children, families, and communities supported by Happy Child. Throughout the visit, John met with project leaders, team members, and partners who work daily to support vulnerable children and

We would like to invite you to join us in praying for the work of Happy Child International. During the week commencing 23rd March we are planning to hold some online meetings to come together to hear recent updates on the projects we support, to meet our new team member Tracy Moreton and to pray for all aspects of the work we are involved in. Check the Programme Monday – 23 March | 🇬🇧 13:00–14:00 (UK time) 🇧🇷 10:00 (Brazilian time) Meeting with Brazilian project leaders

“Every number tells a story. Every story reflects a life being transformed.” In 2025, the work of Happy Child International continued to open doors, restore dignity and create real opportunities for children, young people and families across our partner projects in Brazil. Here is a glimpse of what your support made possible this year. Mentoring and Skills Training Project 2025 The demand for opportunity continues to grow. In 2025: Of those employed, 9 trainees began salarie

My name is Tracy and I am looking forward to becoming part of the Happy Child International team. For the past thirty years I have worked with internationals from all over the world. I was married for thirty-three years and have two married sons and one Grandson. I spent a number of years serving as a missionary with UFM (United Field Mission) in Belem, Para, Brazil with church planting in a river community and teaching in an international school. On returning to the UK, I s

Caroline in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1999 Dear Friends, At the start of 2026 Happy Child International continues its mission to serve children and young people at risk in Recife, Northeast Brazil. We want to thank all our supporters for being faithful to us and helping us to deliver this important work. This year after much consideration and reflection I am stepping down from my role as Head of Operations of Happy Child International. After serving for over thirty years I r

It makes more sense here to begin at the end rather than the beginning, as it's the things that have been learned on the way that open doors to the future. The word that 20 year old Ainõa Leticia chooses to define her own path on the Mentoring and Skills Training project is “Resilience”. It orginates from the Latin meaning “to leap backwards”. When the opportunity for selection on the Mentoring and Skills Training project came up it wasn’t exactly what Ainõa Leticia was lo

One day I was listening to a Podcast, and it said something like: “Recharging our self esteem and confidence helps us set new challenges and see that what may seem impossible isn’t. Hope for a better world can energise us”. In Brazil almost twenty million people have never had a dental appointment, and half of the population do not annually visit the Dentist. In 2024, more than 30% of the Brazilian population did not go for a dental appointment * . With conviction Docter S

I have to say that to grow in life it’s important to seize every opportunity that comes your way and to know what you like and want to do and what you don’t like and don’t want to do. Amanda Beatriz, 17 years old, thinks likewise. This young girl, even though she knew very little about tech, decided to enrol on an introduction to IT programme and a Digital Marketing Assistant programme, both of which were offered by Project Tamandaré in partnership with Happy Child Internat

In various bible passages it points out the importance of having the support of brothers and sisters in our lives. Psalm 131:1-2 says “ How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.The story of sisters Edja and Joice Félix highlights the poignancy of these words. The youngest sister in this story is 35 year o

Leonel is working out his dreams by taking hold of all the learning opportunities that have been given to him in life. When he was a child, he passed a test to study in a private school. In the afternoons he participated in after school clubs which were hosted by social projects. When he was a young man, he started to give violin classes to help with costs at home. Later on, he got a place on the Mentoring and Skills Training Project which is supported by Happy Child Int

This week young Mums with Project Gathering met up for a special celebration where there was a feeling of joy, sharing and unity. Earlier in the year the Giving Hands Network, in partnership with Happy Child International , organised a very special prayer initiative. Mums were able to express their prayer requests for themselves and their babies. Today they physically received back some bespoke prayers prayed for by some of the Happy Child International supporters. This

Brazil’s Patron of Education, Paulo Freire, always said “You can’t talk about education without love”. Its exactly “love” that Paulo Rodrigues eminates as the Coordinator of the Mentoring and Skills Training Project. When he studied and graduated in Pedagogy (Education) he always knew that he wanted his work to be vocational, directed towards social transformation and helping educate those who are socially vulnerable. He reminisces, “16 years ago I started working with Inst

Studies indicate that children who are socially vulnerable are more likely to be affected by respiratory illnesses like asthma and rhinitis . Ammar Transforma identifies these diseases in children and young people today and is able to benefit from the voluntary services of Patricia Santos, an ear, nose and throat specialist. Patricia tells us how she got involved with the project. She says “During the pandemic I began to feel wrestless. I thought about the need and the diffic

This is the inspiring story of 14 year old Leticia Rodriguez Rocha. At the beginning of 2024 Leticia’s cousin was attending Saturday...